PAUL LAMBERT fights to keep Aston Villa away from a relegation crisis tomorrow admitting he can't afford another desperate season like this if he's going to keep his job.

Paul Lambert's Aston Villa have won just three of their last 14 games[GETTY]

Lambert wants to stay at Aston Villa but one of the toughest weeks in his career could turn even worse.

He was brought in two years ago as the manager who would launch a bright new dawn, but after a worrying relegation fight last season it's all on the brink of going sour again.

If his team lose their 13th home game of the season tomorrow against Southampton, the Villa crowd is likely to turn on him for the first time.

The club has been rocked by what happened this week and is in turmoil after allegations of bullying that have led to assistant manager Ian Culverhouse and head of football operations Gary Karsa, both long-term colleagues of Lambert at his previous clubs, being suspended pending a club investigation.

That is expected to be concluded quickly with neither Culverhouse nor Karsa getting their jobs back, but Lambert would not talk about it yesterday.

Villa's club lawyer was on hand as Lambert said: "There is a legal investigation and I can't really comment on anything. That's fair enough. I'm not going down that route."

Former player Gordon Cowans, promoted from the youth team to assistant manager, and Shay Given, who has gone from a non-playing goalkeeper to first-team coach, will be on the bench with Lambert.

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Randy Lerner has backed Lambert to turn things around at Villa Park [GETTY]

Am I secure in my job? My whole intent is to be here next year and the year after

Paul Lambert

But Lambert will be the target if Villa slump to their fifth successive defeat, putting them in real danger of relegation with four games left.

"I've never wished I hadn't come here, definitely not. But it has been eventful that is for sure," said Lambert. "It is a great club, a fantastic club, and I never regret, despite everything.

"Am I secure in my job? My whole intent is to be here next year and the year after. You've just got to do your job day by day and go from there."

Owner Randy Lerner rarely attends games but Lambert says his relationship remains good in phone calls to and from Lerner's New York home.

"The support from Randy, I only ever talk about it when people ask me. He's the chairman and owner. It's his club, he can do what he wants," said Lambert.

"But I still have a good relationship with him. Forget football, talking to him is good. But everyone knows what football is like.

"I love it here. It's a great club with a great fan base. I never came to Aston Villa for it to be like this. No chance.

"The club is too big to be where it is. I recognised that from day one, that this club should never be in the position it's been in for the last four years. Never."

Gary Karsa and Ian Culverhouse have been suspended by the club [GETTY]

At the time when Villa beat Chelsea a month ago to leave them within one more victory of safety, there was talk of Lambert being given a new contract as he enters the last year of his current deal.

That has been shelved and if Lambert is to stay there is a clear indication that he will want improved transfer funds to buy a better quality of player than he's been allowed to under Lerner's strict cutbacks.

"You have to work within the parameters that are here. There will be changes in the summer," said Lambert.

"There are players here that cost money and everyone knows that in this division you've got to spend to get yourself up there.

"This club needs to be up there, it has to be up there. There are loads of things that have got to change, you can't put your hat on just one.

"Off the pitch, the finances are a lot healthier, that is a progression. It hasn't progressed the way I wanted on the pitch.

"After the Chelsea game everyone thought, 'Great, no problems'. Nobody could foresee what's happened in the last four games.

"We didn't perform and didn't deserve anything from those games, that's the reality. Now we have to win a game. The lads will be totally ready for this one, that's for sure."